Similar to You
by Safaia Bara
Summary: When Matt gets upset with TK, Tai gets upset. After he has a harsh argument with Matt, the Digidestined find out something about their leader that they didn't know.


A new fandom, again. Here's my first, and definitely not my last, Digimon fanfiction.

I was chatting with a new friend of mine, FallenQueen2 (You MUST read her Digimon story, "Tai Knows What to Do". It is the sweetest friendship fic I've ever read- from any fandom), and we got to talking about the original seven Digidestined, TK in particular, and how close they are. I was reminded of an episode where TK asks Tai to be his brother, and this idea popped into my head.

This story is set between episodes 3 and 4, while the Digidestined are lost in the forest. Hope you enjoy it.

Much love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. The characters and story are the property of Akiyoshi Hongo,Toei Animation, Bandai, and Fuji Television. I do own this storyline.

* * *

Similar to You

It had been weeks since the children had been dragged into a foreign land. It had been days since they'd had anything decent to eat. And tensions were getting high.

"Matt, I'm hungry."

"I know TK, you've said so five times in the past half hour. We have to keep moving. We can look for food later."

"But, Matt -"

Matt spun around to face his younger brother, "No, TK! We are not going to get something to eat," he sighed, "Besides, where would we go anyway? We're in the middle of a forest."

TK sniffled and his eyes began to well up with tears. He looked down dejectedly, "Sorry."

"Man, what's your problem?" Tai interrupted, "You didn't have to yell at him like that. He's just a kid, you know."

Matt glared at the brunet with steely blue eyes, "Of course I know that! He's _my_ brother."

"Hey! Don't fight because of me! Stop it!" TK wailed, but was effectively ignored as the two older boys raised their voices.

"Then why don't you treat him like one?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're not acting like much of a big brother right now!"

"Stop it!" Joe yelled, silencing the two squabbling boys, "Would you guys knock it off, already? This fighting isn't going to solve anything. All you're doing is upsetting TK."

Matt and Tai looked up to see the eight year old blond crying as Patamon clung to his hat and Sora had her hand on his shoulder, both trying to console him.

Tai walked over to him and crouched down to his eye level, "I'm sorry, little guy." He ended his apology with a small smile.

TK wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and smiled back at him. Matt then walked towards his brother and affectionately ruffled his hair under his green cap, "I'm sorry, too, squirt."

* * *

The group continued walking for a couple more hours until both TK and Patamon let out wide yawns.

"I think we need to settle in for the night. TK can barely keep his eyes open," Tai chuckled.

Matt groaned, "I guess so. I'll go get the firewood."

Joe walked over to him, "I'll go, too." The two set off into the dense foliage.

Tai kneeled in the middle of the campsite and started forming a circle of rocks to use as a fire pit. Sora joined him while the other Digidestined cleared out the rest of the area. The digimon went off to forage for something edible. TK and Patamon were curled up next to each other close to Tai and Sora, fast asleep.

"I know why you got upset earlier."

Tai sighed, "I guess I overreacted a little bit. But, come on Sora, you've got to admit that Matt went too far. He shouldn't have been so mean to his brother."

"Um, Tai?"

"It's like he sees TK as a burden sometimes. If anything, I think he's lucky to have his brother here with him," he continued

"_Tai._"

"At least this way, he doesn't have to worry about whether he's doing okay. He knows his brother is safe. And this is the way he treats him?"

"_You don't know anything._" a cold voice whispered from behind him. Tai flinched but didn't respond. Matt continued, his voice like ice, "You don't _know_ what my brother and I have been through. You don't _know_ what's happened between us. And it's _none_ of your business, anyway."

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Sora."

"But you were talking about me, so I'm involved in this conversation."

"Alright, calm down. We've had enough arguing for one day, don't ya think?" Sora interjected, trying to stop the fight before it got out of hand.

"And besides, why do you care, anyway? You don't have to worry about making sure your brother is safe. You don't know what it's like. _You_ don't have that responsibility," Matt added.

Tai's hands were balled into fists at his sides as his whole body shook. He mumbled, "_You take that back._"

"Huh?"

"_You take that back right now!_" Before anyone could move, Tai was on his feet and Matt was sprawled on his back, a red mark forming on his cheek.

The whole team gasped as the brunet raced out of the camp. Agumon dropped the food he and the other digimon had brought back to the campsite, and was hot on his heels in seconds. Everyone else was shocked, everyone except for Sora.

"What was that about?" Izzy asked.

Sora shook her head, "Matt went too far that time."

Matt looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

The redhead stood up and wiped some dirt off of her jeans, "Tai does know what it's like. He has an eight year old sister, Kari."

"How do you know that?" Joe questioned.

"Tai and I went to elementary school together. I've know him for a while. He's always been protective of his little sister. He loves her like crazy, and he's always been there for her as far back as I can remember.

"When Tai left for summer camp, Kari was supposed to come, but she got sick. He wasn't going to come, but she talked him into it.

"We've been in the Digiworld for a long time, and Tai doesn't know how his sister is doing. He doesn't know if her illness has gotten better or worse. He's really worried about her."

Matt looked down, ashamed of his actions.

"So, when he saw you yelling at TK, it made him think of Kari." She looked over at the still sleeping form of TK and smiled. Matt's eyes followed her gaze. "You know you're sibling is okay, he doesn't."

"He thinks I'm taking that for granted," Matt concluded, smiling softly at his brother.

"Exactly," Sora affirmed with a nod.

Without another word, Matt ran off into the forest, following Tai's trail.

* * *

Matt found Tai about fifteen minutes later, tossing rocks into a small brook, his back to him. Agumon sat a few feet away, silently staring at his partner.

"What do you want, Matt," Tai growled

"How did you know it was me?" the blond asked, slightly stunned.

"I could feel your arrogance rolling off of you in waves from a mile away."

"Hey!"

The brunet sighed wearily, "I figured you'd be the one to come looking for me, either to apologize, _which I highly doubt_," he mumbled, "or get back at me for punching you." He continued throwing the rocks into the water.

Matt rubbed his sore cheek at the reminder.

"Look, man, Sora told us about your sister."

Tai's arm froze mid-throw, "_What?_" He turned around to face the other boy. Agumon took this opportunity to sneak back to camp.

"I'm sorry, Tai. I didn't know that you were an older brother, too.

"You were right. I was being too hard on TK," he grimaced, "I guess you do know how hard it is."

Tai nodded with a small grin, "I know a little bit."

Matt smiled back, "But it looked like you've had more practice at it than me. Like I said before, when our parents split up, we got split up, too. So we were never as close as you and Kari must be. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a little jealous of you, Tai."

Tai tilted his head in confusion, "Why?"

Matt sighed, "Your sister must love you a lot. You've always been a constant in her life. I just wish I could have had that with TK."

Tai walked over to his blond companion and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Matt, TK idolizes you. He thinks you're the most amazing person in the world. Although I wonder _why_," he laugh, dodging a slap aimed at his head, "But really, he probably thinks you're the best big brother ever. And you are a great brother to him, Matt. You just need to be a bit more patient with him."

Matt nodded, "I know, it's just so hard."

"Being a big brother isn't supposed to be easy. But I'll help you if you want." Tai held out his hand.

Matt's smile widened as he grasped the brunet's forearm firmly, "I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

Tai bowed as a sensei would to his student, "I shall teach you the way to be a good brother. The road will be hard, but the reward will be more than worth it," he joked.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

They both laughed all the way back to camp.

* * *

So, how'd you like it? I always thought that Matt and TK's relationship was strained because of their separation, and every time Kari was shown in the first season, she and Tai were so close.

Plus, I thought it was wrong of them to leave Kari out of the story for so long.

Alright, goodbye for now. See ya next time.

*SB*


End file.
